A TEK-a-Day: Texas Test Prep Made Easy! *Freebie!

Wondering if this has been updated for the new 2019 TEKS? IT HAS!

As an instructional coach, I spent a lot of time trying to find good quality resources for my teachers to use when teaching literacy.

Sometimes this was easy and fun! Mentor texts! Classroom libraries! Sometimes this wasn't so fun. Texas reading test prep. Yuck.

The most important things we do aren't test prep, but you wouldn't know that from looking at the reports released from the state!

One resource my teachers frequently asked for, but weren't able to find, was a test prep resource that would allow them to teach test prep a little at a time, rather than a huge, long, horrendous, boring passage. 

They wanted a short passage to use each week, and then different types of questions each day. 

One question a day, they said! 

That'll help us reinforce the skills without drilling and killing, and spending so much of our time on test prep! 

I searched high and low but couldn't really find exactly what we were looking for.

So I decided to make it. And so the TEK-a-Day Test Prep was born!

Please know that I didn't create this product so you could spend more time on test prep. I created so you could spend less, better quality time on test prep.

I've really worked hard to ensure that this resource is TEKS and test-aligned. My pet peeve is when untested TEKS are included in a reading passage, or when the test prep materials sold by big companies don't match what kids will actually see on the day of their test. We should teach widely, of course, but if we're preparing them for something high-stakes, shouldn't our materials be accurate?

Here's what's in the resource. If you're like my teachers, it's exactly what you've been looking for! 

Short Genre-aligned Texts & Daily TEK-aligned questions

Each week has one short text - a half-page text - in different genres that are tested in that grade. For example, in third grade, I start the first nine weeks with literary genres (fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction), and in the second nine weeks I add informational genres (expository and embedded procedural). 

In fourth grade, students are exposed to these genres plus drama, and in fifth grade, they also receive persuasive passages.

For each text, there are five questions: one for each day of the week. Monday is a word study question (context clues, affixes/root words, and dictionary definitions where applicable). The other days spiral TEKS tested on the state test. If it's not tested, I didn't include it. The purpose is to focus test-taking skills on the kinds of questions kids will see.

I used a variety of question stems and focused my efforts on those TEKS that are most heavily tested, although all test-eligible TEKS are introduced (except for one in fourth and one in fifth that have never been tested, but are eligible for testing).

Each nine weeks adds a new layer to what kids are asked to do in preparation for their test. In fourth and fifth grade, the third and fourth nine weeks include questions in the 19F style - questions where the kids compare the readings from the previous two weeks.

Academic Vocabulary Word Wall & Guide

In order to make this an all-inclusive test prep resource, I also added in academic vocabulary.

The word wall includes vocabulary that is generic to reading (summary, infer, support), and genre-specific vocabulary (main character, cause-and-effect, cast, props).

Word wall cards are included and a vocabulary guide explains when each word is introduced to you can build a word wall by genre.

Writing & Reading Extensions

To support kids making connections to texts, I also included writing extensions and recommended

readings to continue the learning.

These recommended books are thematically or topically connected, and it can be as easy as checking some out from the library and leaving them on a book display for interested readers!

The writing extensions are from a variety of modes of writing - all of them supported in the TEKS. I wrote the expository prompts in the fourth grade Texas writing test style.

It's also a great way to keep those kids who finish quickly engaged.

Answer Keys & TEKS Data Trackers

Answer keys are included for everything, and they include the TEK/SE coding as well, so you can track student data and see how they're doing in each area! 

I also included several versions of the answer sheet - one that doesn't include the TEKS and one that does, in case you have kids track their own data.

To help you track student data, there's a data tracker in printable and digital format (Keynote and PowerPoint) so you can edit on your computer if you prefer!

  

Large Print Versions
So many teachers have to provide a large print version to their students, and I know from personal experience that this can be very time-consuming, and sometimes difficult, depending on the formatting of the document. So I included large-print versions of the passages for each week. This should save you some time!

Teacher pages are also included that explain how to use the program and all of its resources.

So you might want to check it out! If you download the preview file for each bundle on TpT, it will share exactly what is included in the entire bundle, as well as a TEKS alignment guide to help you with year-long planning.

Want a sneak peak? Enter your email address to get two free weeks from third, fourth, and fifth grade! You can try it out with your kids for free! This free download includes...
Third Grade sample passages & questions
*Fiction
*Poetry

Fourth Grade sample passages & questions
*Fiction (myth)
*Informational
*1 set of comparing questions

Fifth Grade sample passages & questions
*Poetry
*Drama
*1 set of comparing questions

I truly hope this resource helps you spend less-but-better test prep time with your kids. Best part? They're aligned to the new 2019 TEKS! Hit all of the tested TEKS with this resource!

Third Grade TEK-a-Day Test Prep Bundle
Fourth Grade TEK-a-Day Test Prep Bundle
Fifth Grade TEK-a-Day Test Prep Bundle

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Five Ways to Keep Test Prep Fun!

Dun-dun-dunnnnn. It's that time again. That all-dreaded testing season. If you're like me, you love your job from August - January and then you'd like to use up all of your saved-up sick days to take a vacation until May.

Actually administering a state test is a horrendous experience. There are dozens of hilarious tips about what you can do during testing, but the truth of the matter is, you can do nothing.
 
Nothing but walk around incessantly, glancing to "make sure students are working on the appropriate section of the test" but not looking closely enough to actually read the test. You have to look over their bubble sheet to notice that they bubbled, but not close enough to notice what they bubbled. Not that it matters, because you have no idea what's on that test anyway.

Basically, the test is a blind date your friend set you up with who gets to judge you by watching you through the window of the restaurant as you wait patiently for them to arrive. You don't actually get to meet them yourself, or to hear the results of this observation until months later, when you're no longer interested in meeting such a creepy person, and your opinion does not matter.
 

Anyway, there's not much I can do to make delivering the test more interesting, but your test preparation and review can be fun. Here are four tips to keep your test prep engaging and interesting! I've used each of these tips in third - fifth grade classes, and they worked for me!

#1 Play BUMP!

 Target: Get kids moving while practicing strategies with accuracy. Timing it creates a sense of urgency.

This is a great way to get kids moving when all you're really doing is having them answer questions you would've had them answer at their desks. To play BUMP, you'll need the questions you want students to answer all cut apart. Because I require students to use strategies on each question, I make enough copies of the question so each student can have their own.

You stack all the copies of #1 up on one desk, and all the copies of #2 at the next desk, and so on. When you say, "GO!" the kids have to use their strategy to answer the question. You give them an appropriate amount of time (maybe three minutes) and then shout, "BUMP!" The kids have to move to the next question (and I make them take their copy of the question they just answered with them) and answer that. Then you shout "BUMP!" again and the process continues. My kids loved it!

To keep it focused, I always do a little minilesson on the strategy first and then all the questions are focused on kids using that exact strategy. 

#2 Toss the question ball.

Target: Hold everyone accountable, but in a (slightly) fun way.

My kids loved anything where they got to move. To keep them all engaged during not-so-exciting test prep lessons, I used to use the "Smushy Apple of Knowledge." It was just one of those little stress reliever apples. Being soft is important, because basically, I spent entire lessons throwing the apple at my students.

 Oriental trading has a whole collection here. I also used to have a little Earth that we called, "The Smushy Earth of Science". We were inspired by Bill Nye.

These are the rules:
- I ask a question.
- I say a name and toss the ball to that person.
- They must answer.
- I ask another question
- They have only three seconds to decide who to toss it to.
- They say the name and toss it to that person.
- If you take longer than three seconds, I choose where the apple goes.
- If the ball bounces away from the person it was aiming for, only one person who is closest can get up to get the ball and give it to the original person.
- No one can ask for the apple. No one raises their hand; no one shouts out, "ME!" 

The last two rules were (obviously) the result of trying to use the smush apple and realizing I needed some specifics. They keep two things from happening. 1. A student will be ready to toss the apple but spend five minutes looking around the room at all the eager faces, thinking about who to toss it to, and saying, "ummmm." 2. Half a dozen students abruptly leap out of their seats and head for the same tiny apple. 3. Half the class has their hands waving frantically in the air, shouting "OVER HERE!" and the other half isn't worried about participating because those other kids will get the apple.

#3 Partner A/Partner B

Target: Each student is accountable to their partner. Great for differentiation.

In any class, you have a diverse bunch of kids. If your class requires a lot of differentiation (even in their testing), this strategy works well. Even if it doesn't require that, this will still work well. You just won't differentiate the questions.

Here's how it works:
You identify who is Partner A and who is Partner B throughout the class. You assign one problem to Partner As and one problem to Partner Bs.  This is where you can differentiate, subtly. There can be a difference in the problem you assign Partner A and Partner B.

Each student is given an appropriate amount of time to work on their problem. Then they meet with their assigned partner. Partner A teaches their problem to Partner B and Partner B then teaches their problem to Partner A. Easy peasy, but it gets kids showing their best work, communicating about their work, and listening to another student.

# 4 Stations with test prep questions

Target: Have students practice a variety of concepts or one concept in a variety of ways. Includes some movement, and timing it creates a sense of urgency.

Stations are a great way to get kids to move through a variety of practice materials while creating a sense of structure. The day feels pretty long when everyone does this, and then everyone does that, and then you do this other thing, etc. By using stations, students feel like there is a little more energy and movement in the room and adding a timer helps them stay focused and energized.

Look at the concepts you want students to learn. For third grade math, for example, I isolated six main concepts I wanted students to practice. I made a stations activity - usually a matching activity - for each concept. For example, for fractions, I made this fractions comparing station:

For 3-D shapes, I provided students with the 3-D shape forms they could hold and manipulate, and a table to record their faces, edges, and vertices.You can also find it here.

Then, I found about five test-ish questions for each concept. I wanted students to do something hands-on and then apply that immediately to some test questions. This is the bridge we have to build for many of our struggling students.

They learn the content, but they don't always know how to demonstrate that on a test! I could then collect those questions and identify who was on target and who needed more support in which areas.

You can also read these posts about the fractions stations I used to prepare my kids for their test! Fraction Fanatic and Fraction Frenzy.

#5 Sorts

Target: Have kids think critically in an easily manageable format.

I love sorting activities! To help my students prepare for their big reading test, I made a sort that included the categories of the main genres tested (fiction, drama, expository, and poetry) and little cards with the characteristics of each genre and the strategies they would need to use. Then I added a sample of each genre and a ton of questions.

They had to sort the characteristics, strategies, and sample into each genre category. Then they had to read the questions, mark up their observations and decide which genre this probably came from. For example, if the question says, "Read the following stage directions from 'Bill and Pete,'" I know it's asking about a drama.

The genre labels, author's purpose cards, sample texts, and vocabulary cards are available on TpT!  Then just cut up an old STAAR test to sort the questions!

What fun ways do you get kids energized about test preparation?
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Texas Stuff. Yeehah. Reading Assessment Tracker with TEKS Freebie!

This one's special for Texas. I guess I should say Yee-Hah! Except I don't really like Texas-y stuff. Or cowboys. Or the Dallas Cowboys. Or oil.
I guess I'm not a very good Texan. 

Not only that, I hate
-and this is a big one-
I. Hate. The. STAAR. 
gasp! What? you say. But I hate it.
I know. You're nice. But I'm not. *note: I know you don't love it. That was sarcasm.*
I hate it. I hate it so so so much because it makes me think about that instead of ways to make learning relevant and awesome. I still think about relevance and awesomeness most of the time, but a part of the time, I have to think about STAAR. (They say relevance is a part of it, but you know what I mean. Real relevance and STAAR relevance are different.)
Now, the little people we work with shouldn't worry about the STAAR. That makes me sad that they do. We don't want them thinking that the only way to show what they know is by taking a multiple-choice test and filling in some bubbles. But, on the other hand, they will have to take tests for the rest of their lives, to do pretty much anything they want to do. Fortunately, they'll be adults someday and not little children who we're stifling. But for now, you know, we do what we do.
There's another special thing about Texas. We don't do Common Core. At all. We have our own standards that may or may not align with Common Core. They're the TEKS. And they're not bad, actually, in reading. They're genre-based, which is good.
So I tried to think of a fun way for kids to track their progress towards the student expectations they have to learn. A way that would help them see how they're improving based on specific standards they have to master.
I have worked on these reading assessment trackers until I hate them. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them! But they're so cute that hopefully you'll like them. 
This is what they are:
I took the student expectations for the Texas TEKS that are tested on the STAAR, so I only used the Readiness and Supporting standards. I bundled them by genre and typed them up. Then I added the Figure 19 standards that are tested into each genre that they're tested in. 
I added a place for the kids to record their scores on assessments and a little color code key. Both Enlgish and Spanish are available for grades 3, 4, and 5. But PLEASE check over the Spanish especially. I typed it directly from the TEKS, but it's possible there is an error. If you find one, let me know and I will correct it ASAP. Thank you!

Grab it free at TPT or Teacher's Notebook. I hope you like it and can use it.  And, if you're not from Texas, go back and check out the generic reading assessment graph I made. Maybe you'll be able to use that one! Pin It

Data...Barf...Freebie!

It's Friday night - what what - and I'm listening to The Office (original UK version, thank you), drinking some box o' wine, and thinking about data.  What? Data?  Yes. Barf. In my new job (I will continue to say 'new' for the rest of the year so no one expect too much of me), I am responsible for helping teachers track data and look at it to identify next steps. This was one thing when I was looking at my own 22 students, but now we're looking at about 20 students x 6 sections x 4 grade levels.  I used to be able to do that, but now I'm a literacy lead. I dumped all the math out of my brain, so I won't do it and you can't make me. Two words, people.  Job. Description. Anyway, data is my new middle name. So now it's Ms. Chrissy Data B. Which doesn't even flow. Especially because this is what happens when I hear the word data in a sentence directed at me, such as, "Make sure you collect data from third grade about their last reading assessment." In my brain, the following events occur: 1. Poop. Now I have to bother third grade for their data. 2. Poop. Then I have to look at the data with them and I don't want them to feel bad if it's not good. 3. Poop. After that, I have to talk to them about what to do about the data. 4. Barf. Data is a constant and ongoing conversation on our campus. We analyze data by overall average, subpopulations, specific student expectations, and the wording of the questions.  We do this every time we take an assessment. And I know it's valuable and good for us to think about and inform our instruction, but still....... barf. So we've decided that the big people in the room can't be the only ones worried about thinking about data. The little people should be thinking about it a little bit, too. To help them do this, I put together some documents. The first is a basic Reading Assessment Tracker Graph. Little people can record the date and subject of their reading assessments and then color in across to record their progress. It's also good for goal-setting. Maybe over time, our little people will be focused on making good progress in their assessments. And maybe over time, our big people will see some patterns and ways to help them do this. You can grab this one free from TPT or Teacher's Notebook.

I used Hello, Literacy Fonts and DJ Inkers clipart cause they're cute. Black and white for easy printing!

Since I made this, I have revised this document about twelve times, each time creating more and more work for myself and everyone else. I will eventually share the final drafts with you. However, because in Texas, we do not follow the common core because that's how special we are. We use the TEKS. So it's TEKS-aligned and references the TEKS for Reading. But Texas is a big state, so maybe you can use it because lots of you live here.
And then you can look at your data, too. Barf. Pin It